VET Workforce Study

Many of the skills shortages across the country rely on the VET workforce to teach and train Australia’s future workers. A secure and sustainable VET workforce for the future is key to fixing skills shortages in the wider Australian economy.

Our VET Workforce Study highlights the challenges and opportunities and provides the data and evidence that informed the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations’ VET Workforce Blueprint.

Both our report and DEWR’s blueprint aim to ensure the long-term sustainability of the VET sector by supporting and growing the quality and capability of the VET workforce.

In particular, the VET Workforce Study’s purpose is to profile the existing workforce data available, identify its limits and show why consistent, regular workforce data collection is needed for this crucial part of Australia’s skills system. Indeed, more regular and systematic data collection on the VET workforce is a recommendation of the report.

The workforce analysis reveals that though demand is high, VET teachers are less well paid than their school counterparts, but at the same time are more highly educated and older than the general population. These factors will be important considerations in maintaining a strong VET sector for the future.